Life With the Mitchells
by rmonroe
Summary: One-shots featuring Cam Mitchell, his wife Audry, and their four kids! Cam/OC, possibly a little bit of D/V and S/J.
1. Brothers

A series of one-shots about life in the Mitchell household. Cam is married to Audry, an OC of mine that I will eventually write a story about. They have four kids. In age order: Cody, Benjamin, Austin, and Madelyn.

* * *

Three-year-old Madelyn burst through the back door and flung herself dramatically into Cam's lap, nearly spilling the cup of coffee in his hand.

"Maddy! Geez, what're you doin', kid?" he exclaimed, quickly setting the cup down.

Her face was buried in his shirt so her answer was a little unclear but it was a familiar problem. "Won't pway with me."

"The boys won't play with you?" he asked, tickling her gently to get her to look up.

She squirmed away from his fingers but kept her head down. "They mean."

He stopped tickling and wrapped both arms around her petite frame. "Baby girl, what were you tryin' to play with them?"

She sniffed. "Football."

Cam smothered a laugh with his hand, picturing his tiny girl trying to keep up with her three older brothers. "Don't you think you're a bit little to be playin' football with the boys?"

She raised her head, indignance written all over her tear-stained face. "Daddy! I'm big!"

"Sorry, sorry," he said, kissing her head and still trying to keep his face serious. "You're right, you're big. But your brothers are bigger."

Her lip popped out and she buried her face in his chest again. "I'm mad."

He hugged her and dropped another kiss to her hair. "How 'bout we play somethin', just you an' me."

She looked up at him again. "No bruvvers?"

He grinned at her. "No brothers."


	2. Grandpa

Stacie is Cam's sister, and Doug is her husband. Oh, and Sophie is Daniel's daughter. Just didn't want you to be confused by the brief mention. :)

* * *

Cam dropped the phone on the counter and sank into a kitchen chair just as Audry came into the kitchen.

"Cam? Who was that? Is everything okay?" she said, seeing the look on his face.

To her surprise, his eyes filled with tears, and he just stared at her, pain and shock transparent on his face. She came and stood in front of him, taking his face in her hands and looking into his eyes. "Cam, baby, what's the matter?"

He took a deep, shuddering breath. "It's Dad. He had a heart attack, Audry. He's gone."

"Oh, Cam," she said, feeling her own eyes fill with tears. Cam stood and they wrapped their arms tightly around each other, trying not to let their emotions get too out of control because they knew the kids could come upstairs any minute.

"Mommy? Daddy?" Sure enough, Maddy's little voice came from the stairway.

Audry pulled back from Cam just enough to talk to their youngest child. "It's okay, sweetheart. Something bad happened but it's going to be okay." The words were directed to Cam as well. "Cam? I'm gonna get the boys up here. Do you want to tell them or should I?" she asked gently, touching his cheek with her fingertips.

Cam swallowed hard and blinked back tears. "I'll tell them," he said, his voice gruff.

She left his embrace and walked to the top of the stairs, and took Maddie's hand to reassure the six-year-old. "Boys? Get up here, we need to talk to you!" she shouted.

Seven-year-old Austin was the first to appear. "We're busy, Mom!"

"Honey, something really bad happened and we need to tell you about it, okay?" Audry said, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice.

Austin frowned and ran back down the hall to get his older brothers. The three of them came up the stairs at less than their usual gallop, wearing identical frowns.

"Mom," ten-year-old Cody said, leading the way. " What's -" He stopped abruptly when he saw his parents' faces.

Ben, his younger brother by a year, stared at Cam. "Dad, are you _crying_?"

All the boys froze. They'd never seen their tough, Air Force dad cry before.

Maddy started to whimper, and Audry picked her up and nudged the boys toward the table. "C'mon, guys. Dad needs to talk to you."

The boys sat at the table apprehensively, still watching Cam who was struggling to get his emotions under control enough to tell his children what had happened. Audry sat down in the chair next to him and Maddy climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. He hugged her tightly in the silence, and then swallowed hard and looked up.

"That was Grandma on the phone, guys. Grandpa . . . Grandpa Frank died this morning," he told them, his voice cracking only a little.

The boys exchanged glances. "Grandpa?" Cody said softly.

Audry watched as her sons' faces crumpled. Austin was first, his eyes filled with tears and he bit his lip, determined not to cry, but Audry held out her arms to him and he crawled into her lap and started crying, big tears running down his face. Cody, always the big brother who wanted to take care of everyone, stood, and with tears in his eyes, put an arm around his dad. Ben shoved back his chair and ran from the kitchen downstairs to his room, which was his usual reaction when bad things happened. The rest of them sat, crying quietly in the kitchen, until tissues were desperately needed, and Audry slid Austin off her lap to go get some. The movement and act of wiping noses and eyes helped calm everyone down, at least enough to talk.

"We better get out there to be with your mom as soon as possible," Audry said, sitting back down after handing out the tissues. She drew Austin back into her lap and touched Cam's hand. "Do you know when the funeral is?"

Cam shook his head. "Mom said Stacie and Doug are already on their way there, and she wants everyone there to plan everything."

"Want me to go look up flights, Dad?" Cody asked.

Cam managed a smile as he looked up at his oldest son. "Thanks, pal. Just find the soonest one."

Cody headed down to the office to use the internet and Cam and Audry turned their attention to their two youngest children.

"You okay, Tiger?" Cam asked Austin. The seven-year-old was getting too big for his mom's lap, but the look on his face reminded Cam of when he had been small enough to fit comfortably. He would come in from getting hurt and all he needed was a good cuddle before he was ready to go again, but Cam was afraid this pain wouldn't go away so easily.

Austin looked up, his big, blue eyes still tear-filled. "Dad?"

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Is Grandpa gone forever?"

Cam paused a minute before answering. "Austin, I would really love to know what happens to us after we die, but I don't. I _do_ know that if Grandpa is out there, he's lookin' out for you."

"Grandpa's watching me too, Daddy?" Maddy piped up, lifting her head off his shoulder.

Cam felt tears burn his eyes again at his children's innocence and faith. "I'm sure he is if he can."

Austin slid off Audry's lap and came to stand in front of his dad. "Doesn't Uncle Daniel know?"

Cam was a little confused by the question. "Know what, buddy?"

"About what happens when you die. Sophie says he's done it before."

Cam exchanged a glance with Audry. "Austin, when Uncle Daniel died, it was different."

Austin tilted his head. "How can you die different?"

That was one of the harder questions Cam had ever had to answer, so he didn't. "Maybe you should ask Uncle Daniel about that."

Austin wiped his nose with his sleeve and sniffed. "Can I call him right now?"

Audry caught Cam's eyes. "We do need to let everyone know."

Cam sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "You can call him in a sec, Aus. I have to talk to everyone first. Maddy?" he said, looking down at his daughter. "You okay, baby?"

She sniffed and sat up in his lap. "I miss Grandpa already," she whispered.

Cam hugged her. "I know, baby. Me, too."

"C'mere, Mads," Audry said, holding out her arms for their baby girl so Cam could make phone calls.

Maddy went to her mother, and Audry took her downstairs to go check on the other boys, squeezing Cam's shoulder on the way.

Austin brought the phone over and solemnly handed it to his dad. " Thanks, Tiger." Cam hit the speed dial for Sam's cell first, and she answered after the third ring.

"Hey, Cam," she said.

"Hey," Cam replied, unable to keep a small crack from his voice.

"Cam, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

He smiled ruefully. "Do I sound that bad?"

"Yeah, what's the matter?"

He sighed. "Sam, it's my dad. He had a heart attack this morning. He . . . he didn't make it." The pain welled back up in his chest from having to repeat the news.

He heard Sam give a little gasp, and he pictured her biting her lip, trying to think of what to say. "I'm so sorry, Cam. Do you need us to come over? Help with the kids for a bit or anything?"

Her concern made his eyes well up again. "No, thanks, though. We're gonna pack up and head out as soon as possible."

"Don't worry about work. I'll make sure everything's taken care of. If you need anything at all, call me okay?" she said, sounding very much like the sister she'd become to him.

"Thanks. You'll tell Jack for me?"

"Of course. Hang in there, Cam. It'll get better, I promise."

They said their goodbyes and Cam he hit the speed-dial for Daniel. Daniel answered on the fifth ring, sounding distracted.

"'Llo?"

"Hey, Daniel. It's Cam. You busy?"

"Um . . . hang on . . . Hey, are you okay?"

Cam smiled again. He loved having friends that knew him so well . . . most of the time. "Not really. My dad . . ." he paused. He had hoped it would get easier with practice but his eyes welled up again and his throat constricted. "My dad died of a heart attack this morning."

He could Daniel didn't quite know what to say either. "Is there anything I can do? How are the kids?"

"I think we'll all be okay. Austin has a question or two for you though."

"Uh, yeah, sure. Put him on."

Austin took the phone. "Uncle Daniel?"

"Hey, Austin. You okay, buddy?"

The boy didn't answer for a moment, and by his furrowed brow, Cam could tell he was trying to collect his thoughts. "What happens when you die, Uncle Daniel?"

There was a long pause on the other end. "Austin, I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that. I do believe that people we love continue in some way, even if it's just in pictures and memories."

Austin frowned. "But . . . Sophie said you died, once. So how can you not know?"

"That was . . . different."

The little boy's frown deepened. "That's what Daddy said."

"What happened to me was ascension, not death. It means that my consciousness – do you know what that means?"

"Your brain and stuff?"

"Basically, yeah. My consciousness went somewhere else for a while, and it was like I was dead because I couldn't really talk to anyone that I'd known before. The thing is though, it's possible to come back after you're ascended. You can't really come back when you're dead," Daniel said gently.

Austin nodded, even as tears gathered in his eyes. "So my grandpa can't come back?"

"No, buddy."

Austin sniffed. "But is he still there? Somewhere?"

"That's something no one really knows, Aus. What do _you_ think?"

"I think he's . . . he's somewhere, and he can see me, but I can't see him."

"I think that sounds pretty good, buddy."

"Thanks, Uncle Daniel."

"Anytime. Hey, Austin?"

"Yeah?"

"Take care of your dad, little man. He's going to need you. All of you."

Austin nodded, and wiped at his eyes. "Okay."


	3. Black Sheep

"Dad, it's not that big of a deal!" Ben shouted, throwing the door open.

"Ben, explain to me how getting arrested is not a big deal!" Cam yelled back, slamming the door behind him.

Audry came in from the living room arms crossed and anger flickering in her eyes. "Both of you better shut up because the other kids have school in the morning, and in case you haven't noticed, it's four o'clock in the morning!" she whispered fiercely.

Cam and Ben looked down, chagrined, but then decided to glare at each other in silence. After a solid minute, Ben could endure the combined stare of his parents no longer and attempted to brush past them and go downstairs, but Audry caught his arm.

"Don't think so, pal. We're going to go out on the deck and talk about this," she said, staring her son down even thought he was a couple inches taller than her.

"Mom, it's like, forty degrees outside!" he said, his eyebrows disappearing into his shaggy hair.

"Good thing you're wearing a coat," she said and started dragging him toward the back door.

Cam followed them outside, still fuming even in the cold November night, and Audry made them all sit down around their deck table. Cam's posture mirrored his sons, arms folded tightly across his chest and a deep scowl on his face.

"Ben, what happened?" Audry asked.

"Dad can tell you," he mumbled. "He's just gonna yell anyway."

Cam leaned forward. "Ben, tell your mom what you did. You are _not _going to get anywhere by being stubborn," he growled.

Ben remained silent.

"Benjamin Jack Mitchell, stop pouting and tell me what happened," Audry commanded, her patience waning.

The sixteen-year-old sighed. "Dallas and Kaben wanted to celebrate me getting my license. That's it. The cops overreacted."

"That is _not_ it, pal," Cam said.

Ben sank lower into his chair. "None of us were over the limit."

"Over what limit? You were over the speed limit, and you were over the drinking limit because none of you are even _allowed _to drink!" Cam exploded.

"You were _drinking?_" Audry asked, shocked.

Ben lowered his head. "Okay, I was stupid, I get it. Can I go to bed?"

Cam sighed heavily. "What's it gonna take, Ben?"

Ben gave a short laugh and looked up at his father. "What? For me to be like Cody?"

"This is not about Cody!" Audry said. "Do you know how scared I've been tonight, Ben? We were terrified you'd been in an accident, and when the police station called . . ." she stopped abruptly and Ben looked at her in surprise. She was biting her lip and her eyes were bright with tears.

Ben stared at the tabletop, suddenly feeling very small and cold. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to make you worried."

"You make us worried all the time, Ben," Cam said, the fight draining from his eyes and his voice soft as he reached over to take Audry's hand. "But I think we're done for tonight. I, for one, am exhausted and would rather talk about this in the morning."

Audry nodded. "Don't even think about going anywhere for the next year, either."

Ben stood silently and headed back into the house. His mother's voice stopped him, his hand on the door knob.

"Ben, we do love you."

He didn't turn, just walked through the door.

* * *

Sorry these last two are kinda depressing, but muse willing, I'll have some more stuff up soon. And let me know if you want to see any of these continued and I'll try to oblige. :)


	4. Lullaby

The night was quiet except for the occasional bark from the neighbor's dog and the gentle sound of her baby breathing. Two-month-old Cody was laying in Audry's arms, looking up at her with his big, blue eyes, and it appeared he was not going to sleep anytime soon. It was strange that he hadn't fallen asleep nursing and was still up this late, especially when he hadn't slept much during the day, but she had to admit she didn't mind the company. Cam was due back from his first off-world mission – a three-day one – since Cody had been born, and he was forty-five minutes late and Audry was sick with worry.

She ran her finger down Cody's nose and he blinked and tried to focus on it. "Are you just waiting up for Daddy, too, sweetheart?" Cody made a soft sound and Audry smiled. "Well, he better come home soon or-" The distinct sound of Cam's truck pulling into the driveway interrupted her. "_There_ he is!" she told Cody, kissing him and laying him down on the couch, leaving her arms free to wrap around Cam. She raced outside and caught sight of him as he came around his truck, his white t-shirt standing out against the darkness of the night. He looked at her and gave her his customary grin, and she ran to him and hugged him tightly, reveling in the feel of his arms around her again.

"Hey, baby," he said softly.

She pulled back just enough to kiss him, and he kissed her back until they were both breathless.

"You're late," she accused, her arms still around him.

He squeezed her gently. "Sorry. Daniel got himself a little banged up and I just wanted to make sure he was okay."

"You could've called," she mumbled into his chest. She thought it was cute how protective Cam was of his team, but was still a tiny bit angry he hadn't called. Until he looked at her with his "I'm really, really sorry, I'll never do it again" expression. Then she just had to kiss him again.

A sudden wail came through the open front door and Audry remembered that Cody was in there all alone. She smiled up at Cam. "He waited up for you."

Cam grinned and headed for the house, hoisting his duffel bag over one shoulder, the other arm still around her. They entered the house and Cam dropped the duffel bag and followed the sound of the crying baby to the couch. He picked up the tiny boy and cuddled him to his chest.

"Hey, little man, it's okay," he murmured. Cody started to quiet, and relaxed in his father's arms. Cam looked up at Audry with a grin and then kissed their son's head. "There's my boy. You're my good baby boy, aren't ya?"

Audry smiled at the two of them. She _loved_ Cam's "baby voice." When his team members had heard it for the first time, they had made fun of him endlessly, but being Cam, he laughed along with them and continued speaking to Cody in a high, sing-song voice.

"So, are you going to tell us about your mission?" she asked, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"You wanna hear about my mission?"

She lifted her head and looked at him. "Of course. You were gone for three whole days; something exciting must've happened."

He shrugged and sat down on the couch, repositioning Cody so he could hold the baby with one arm and wrap the other around Audry as she settled in next to him. "Not really. Not until Daniel fell down the freakin' mountain."

She smiled, knowing that Daniel couldn't have been seriously injured by the tone of Cam's voice. "He fell down a mountain?"

"Yeah, pretty much. He was distracted. You know, I think I should stop goin' off-world with Daniel _and_ Vala. I'm going to start takin' one or the other."

She chuckled. Daniel and Vala were going to get married in just a couple of weeks, and she was actually surprised Cam hadn't taken one of them off his team yet. "Why haven't you?"

"'Cause then I'd hafta get a replacement," he grumbled. "With Teal'c goin' back to be with his grandkids and Sam thinkin' about leaving so she and the General can have a kid, I won't have a team left! Hell, if Daniel and Vala have another kid besides Ethan, I guess I'll hafta quit too."

She squeezed his hand. "I wouldn't mind."

He sighed and looked down at Cody. "I've been thinkin' about cutting back on missions, but I'm still leader of SG-1. That's kinda hard to just . . ." He shrugged and she put a hand up to his face.

"Cam, you don't have to decide anything right now. And me and Cody will always be here for you."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I know."

The little family cuddled together for a moment, and Cody started to drift off finally.

"Do you want to put him to bed, or are you tired?" Audry asked softly, looking at their sleeping son.

"I can put him down," Cam replied, and she caught the happiness in his voice. "We're due for a little male bonding."

She smiled and shook her head, then gave both of them a kiss before getting up. "I'm going to go finish loading the dishwasher, then I'll be up."

"'Kay," he said, distracted as Cody began to squirm and whimper as he stood up.

"His pacifier should be in the bassinet," Audry said, watching her boys go up the stairs. They disappeared into the master bedroom at the end of the hall, and she turned to go into the kitchen, thinking about what Cam had said about cutting back on missions. She knew he'd been struggling to decide between giving up his position as leader of SG-1 to spend more time with her and Cody, and continuing on in the dangerous role.

She certainly wouldn't mind Cam stepping down to a safer, less time consuming duty, she thought as she opened the dishwasher and began to finish the task she'd left earlier when Cody had needed to be fed. She knew that he loved his job, though, and she wanted him to be happy, which was why she knew it had to be _his _decision. Of course, the rest of his teammates might make the decision for him if they all left. Cam would step down just to avoid picking new team members. She smiled to herself and dried her hands on a dish towel before heading upstairs.

As she ascended the steps, a faint sound came to her ears from the master bedroom. It sounded like singing . . . slightly tone deaf singing, but there was an actual melody and words which became clearer as she moved down the hallway. It was "Puff the Magic Dragon." She pushed the door open slowly and peered into the dim room. Cam was laying on the bed, Cody cuddled on top of his chest. Both of them were nearly asleep, but Cam was still letting the song tumble from his sleepy lips, and rubbing a gentle hand up and down Cody's back. Audry smiled and leaned against the door frame, just watching them until Cam finished the song and looked up.

"Hey," he said, a slow and slightly embarrassed smile spreading across his face. "He wouldn't let me lay him down so . . ."

She walked into the room and over to the bed. "He missed you almost as much as I did."

Cam grinned and kissed the top of Cody's head. "I missed _you_ more," he said.

She stretched out on the bed next to him and rested her head on his shoulder so that her nose was tickled by Cody's soft hair. "I missed you most," she said, placing her hand over his so that both their hands rested on Cody's small back.

He chuckled, the movement of his chest bouncing her head, and kissed her hair. "Fine, you win."

She sighed happily and snuggled closer. "I always win."

He didn't answer for a moment, and surprised that he'd let that one go, she lifted her head so she could see his face. He was pretty much asleep. She kissed his cheek and got up to lay Cody down in the bassinet.

"Good night, sweetheart," she whispered, tucking the baby in before going back to take Cam's boots off and crawl into bed next to him, knowing that whether he stayed on SG-1 or not, for the moment, it was enough to have him there.


	5. Over the Highway and Through Kansas

"Dad, Ben is still humming that stupid song!" six-year-old Cody complained.

"No I'm not! You're hitting me!" five-year-old Ben whined.

Cam glared into the rear view mirror. "If you guys wake up Maddy, I'll come back there and strangle you myself."

"Dad! It's not even my fault! Ben is being a brat!"

"No, you are!"

"You are!"

Cam resisted the urge to pull out his own hair and gripped the steering wheel tightly instead. "Stop it, guys! I don't care who's fault it is!"

"Cody, Ben, listen to Dad," Audry put in, twisting around in the passenger seat to make eye contact with the two boys in the back of the van. The boys continued to grumble at each other but they were more quiet about it.

"I hafta go potty!" almost-three-year-old Austin suddenly announced from his car seat in the middle seat.

"You have _got_ to be kiddin' me," Cam muttered. "There's nothin' between here and Auburn, and that's twenty minutes away," he said, exchanging a slightly panicked look with Audry.

"He can't hold it," she warned.

That was a fact Cam knew very well. Austin had a horrible habit of waiting until he was just about to pee his pants before letting anyone know he had to go. With Austin, as soon as he said it, you'd better pick him up and run for the nearest bathroom, which was not really an option in the car. Cam thumped the back of his head into the headrest a couple times before slowing down and looking for a place to pull off. The kid was going to have to go in the bushes.

"I hafta _go_!" Austin repeated, squirming in his car seat.

"Hang on, buddy, almost there," Audry assured him, leaning back to begin unbuckling the car seat to expedite the process once they were stopped.

"Dad, where are we?" Cody asked loudly from the back as Cam brought the car to a halt.

"Austin just has to pee," he replied as Audry jumped out of the car to let the little boy out. Cam glanced over nervously, hoping they'd pulled over in time.

"He's gonna pee in the bushes?" Ben asked, laughing hysterically at the thought. Why he thought it was so funny, Cam had no idea. He certainly couldn't find the humor.

Cody started giggling too, and their combined laughter woke up the one-and-a-half-year-old. Of course. Maddy lifted her head and rubbed at her eyes, a pout already on her face. Cam groaned. Life was hell when Maddy didn't get a full nap in, especially since she _hated_ her car seat.

"Hey, baby," he said, turning in his seat and looking desperately for something to distract her with. It was too late.

The little girl let out a piercing howl and pulled at the straps of her car seat, big crocodile tears gathering in her eyes.

Cam looked at his two oldest children. "I will kill you later."

They were no longer laughing. Not that he could have heard them over Maddy's screams.

"What-" Audry started, carrying a thankfully dry Austin back to the car. "Oh no."

"The boys woke her up," Cam explained, shooting another glare in their direction.

"We better just get there as fast as possible at this point," Audry said, buckling Austin back in.

"No kiddin'," Cam said, wincing as Maddy's cries escalated when her mother got back in the passenger seat without picking her up.

Cam covered the sixty miles to his parents' house in a record twenty minutes, whipping past the small town of Auburn where he went to school, and out onto the country roads that crisscrossed the Kansas farmland. Normally, this drive relaxed him, but this was the first time he'd made it with four children. The last time they'd come out here was when Audry'd been pregnant with Austin, and while taking two toddlers and a woman who was five months pregnant on an eleven hour drive hadn't been particularly fun, it hadn't been _this_ bad.

It was with great relief that he pulled off the road in front of his parents' house and turned off the car. He got out and hurried to get Maddy out of her seat before anyone's eardrums exploded. Man, that tiny girl could scream! He unbuckled his daughter and picked her up, stroking her tangled hair and pressing her head to his shoulder until she quieted. He glanced into the backseat to see Cody and Ben hopping off their booster seats and keeping a wary eye on him. They knew they were still in trouble, and they edged between the two middle seats and got out of the car on the opposite side of where Cam was standing. Audry caught his eye as she unbuckled Austin and gave him the "let it go" shake of her head. He sighed and kissed Maddy's head before sliding the door shut and following the rest of his family up to the house.

Despite the rigors of the drive, Cam's heart warmed at the sight of his parents coming out of his childhood home to greet them. Cody and Ben reached their grandma first, and she bent down to hug them and kiss their heads, exclaiming over how big they were getting, as usual. The boys ran to their Papa Frank next, and Cam's mom moved to hug Audry and take Austin who leaned out of Audry's arms toward his grandma. Cam was glad to see that, he had been afraid Austin would have forgotten his grandparents since they'd last seen them six months ago. They talked to them on the video phone a lot, of course, but it wasn't quite the same.

Cam stepped forward to hug his mom, though it was difficult as they were both holding children. She kissed Maddy and the little girl buried her head in Cam's shoulder with a pout.

"Sorry, Mom. She's still upset from the drive," he apologized.

She smiled up at him and patted his cheek. "Don't worry about it, dear. I can't believe how big she is! She was just a baby last time we saw her!"

Cam grinned at his mom and bent down to kiss her cheek. "Our baby's not much of a baby anymore, is she."

"I'll guess you'll just have to have another one," she said with a happy sigh.

"What?" He stared at her.

"Only joking, dear. I think we have plenty," she said kissing Austin's cheek. "Now, get inside I was just getting lunch out."

Cam followed her inside, greeting his dad on the way in, and yelling at his two oldest children not to run or break anything.

"They're all right, son," Frank Mitchell said, giving Cam an amused look. "All the breakables are still on the highest shelves from when _you_ were that age."

"You're not gonna tell me I deserve those two little monsters are ya?" he replied, grinning at his dad.

Frank chuckled. "I tell ya every chance I get."

Wendy poked her head around the corner. "Get in here, you two! Food's getting cold!"

Cam exchanged a smile with his father before heading for the kitchen. _Yep, _Cam thought, _it's good to be home._


	6. Brothers 2

Some of Maddy's thoughts on her brothers.

* * *

Out of all my brothers, it's Austin that I miss the most. He left for the Georgia Institute of Technology of all places two weeks ago, and I'm stuck with being the last kid at home and one more year of high school. And now I don't have any big brothers to watch my back. Cody's already working at the SGC and Ben's in basic training. Not that I need them. It was just nice to have them around, you know? When Cody wasn't being overprotective and Ben wasn't teasing me mercilessly. I guess that's why I miss Austin the most. He's always been the nice brother. The one who resolves fights instead of starts them, and is – was – never too busy to hang out with me.

Me and Austin are only about a year apart, and we've always been close. I remember after Dad built the tree house in our backyard the year I turned seven, the two of us would take juice boxes and Dad's sports magazines and sit up there for hours. Archaic and cheesy, I know, but that's what we did. And now he's practically a billion miles away, and both of us hate talking on the phone, so our communication is reduced to e-mails.

When we were leaving the airport after seeing him off, Dad put an arm around my shoulders and asked if I was okay. I told him I was fine of course, and I am, but I _really_ miss my brother. It's funny, there have been times when I wished my brothers were all far away, but now that they are, I wish they were back.

Once, when I was about five, Mom and Dad went on a trip for a couple of days, and we stayed with Cassie and Andrew. I had a bad dream that night, and I was afraid to get out of bed to go find Cassie, so I just called for Cody. He ran in from the next room and when I told him about my nightmare, he sat on the edge of my bed, arms folded, and said he'd protect me. The next morning when I woke up, I found him sleeping on my floor. Cody takes being a big brother very seriously, which is awesome, until you want to start dating. Between my brothers and my dad, all potential boyfriends have been scared off.

And then there's Ben. He was one of the coolest people in our high school – on the wrestling team, pretty handsome for a brother, and extremely charismatic. Seriously, he had everyone, teachers included, eating out of his hand. However, he was also really fond of skipping class and getting in fights, and there was a period there where he started experimenting with drugs and stuff. Dad's convinced that basic training will straighten him out, and I hope so. Even though he's a complete idiot sometimes, he is really fun to be around and hilarious when he wants to be, and all throughout school and in our neighborhood, he's threatened people who so much as look at me or Austin wrong. Once, when he was ten, he punched a kid in the mouth for making fun of my freckles.

I guess when it comes down to it, I'm glad I have my brothers. They're good guys, and we love each other, though sometimes I'd rather strangle them than hug them. I guess that's what families are for, right?


End file.
